I would think that at some point in the 10 year life of the VX, the front end may have had a little love tap or 2.....
with that said, I would definately be pulling the brackets outward. If I remember, those brackets shouldn't need any special tools... just grab at the bottom and give'em a good pull.
sometimes a little persuasion is needed to get things to fit....
Good point Dan. We're going' have to set a date to get together, before it gets too hot.